A top-of-the-range, beautifully restored masseria with extensive grounds and a fabulous pool
On arrival at Masseria Cisterna Rossa one is treated to a feast of vivid Mediterranean colours: the pure, pearl-white near symmetry of the facade, the deep earthy green of the manicured lawns and the intense cerulean blue of the cloudless skies above! All bode well for a sensuous holiday experience that gets even better as you step over the threshold...
Inside: accommodation at Masseria Cisterna Rossa is spread over a gorgeously refurbished original masseria and a guesthouse. All rooms are on the ground floor.
The main entrance to Masseria Cisterna Rossa leads to an elegant hallway-cum-living area with TV and fireplace. This room immediately gives guests a feel of what's to come in the rest of the property: high, vaulted ceilings, top quality but understated furnishings and a sense of cool peace and calm.
A doorway to the right leads to a study, off which one may access the library and, via a short corridor, a bathroom with tub and rain shower, and a double bedroom with direct access to the gardens.
Moving back to the hallway, a second door, opposite the main entrance, leads to the generously proportioned principal double bedroom, complete with a sumptuous en-suite shower room and French windows leading out to the grounds.
The door on the left of the hallway leads to the gorgeous contemporary country kitchen, which will delight even the most demanding chefs in your group.
On the other side of the kitchen one arrives at the double-size living area with its effortlessly stylish furniture and eye-catching artworks and sculptures. To the far right of this living room is a second, smaller, but equally elegant living area and a guest bathroom with shower. The larger living room accesses the gardens from one end and a fabulous shady al fresco dining area at the other.
On the left of the living area, opposite the entrance to the kitchen, a small corridor leads to a twin bedroom with en-suite shower room and a double bedroom with shower room next door. Both of these bedrooms also have French doors leading out to the gardens.
Accommodation at Masseria Cisterna Rossa is completed by a lovely guesthouse situated about 50m from the swimming pool (80m from the main house). Here, surrounded by well-furnished, sun-soaked and pine-tree-shaded terraces, is a living and dining area, a kitchen, a shower room and a double bedroom. The quality of the fixtures and furnishing reflects that of the main house, as does the artwork adorning the walls. A superbly panoramic roof terrace, equipped for sunbathing, is the icing on the cake.
Outside: Masseria Cisterna Rossa is surrounded on all four sides by manicured lawns, studded with the occasional palm or olive tree and bordered by traditional Puglian dry-stone and white-washed walls, aromatic shrubs, cacti, and a variety of other flora.
Strategically placed in the immediate environs of and directly accessed from the masseria, are a variety of shady dining and living areas. The pièce de résistance, however, has to be panoramic roof terrace reached via an external staircase that cuts up through the centre of the building. Once up here, you may not want to come down again, so comfortably is it furnished, so splendid are its views!
Of course, the fabulous pool with its shaded, fully furnished pergola, situated some 20m from the house might tempt you! As is only to be expected of a masseria, the grounds feature a couple of quads, or walled courtyards. Indeed through a space in one of the white-washed walls, one accesses a large fruit orchard, carpeted by yet more beautifully tended lawns and towered over at one side by some shady Mediterranean pines.
Lastly, to one side of the olive groves, is an organic vegetable garden offering guests a wonderful variety of tasty Puglian produce.
Depending on the direction of the wind, traffic noise may occasionally be audible in certain areas of the grounds.
You may also wish to know that the pool has a depth ranging from 1.4m to 2.50m.
Masseria Cisterna Rossa is set in the gentle Salento countryside, surrounded by centuries-old olive groves and woods. The area is dotted with charming rural towns such as Taurisano, Ugento, Miggiano and Specchia, in each of which you will find local markets, restaurants, some lovely architecture and a sense of the simple life. The sandy beaches of the Ionian coast are a short drive away past Ugento, and you may choose between free beaches and some stylish lidos.
The baroque jewel of Lecce is less than an hour's drive to the north, and is a great day out for anyone interested in Italian art and architecture of the 17th and 18th centuries. Further south, the "turn of the century" resort town of Leuca, right on the "heel" of Italy, with its Liberty villas is also well worth a visit. Meanwhile, a short drive to the northwest, will take you to the fortified island town of Gallipoli, with its lovely old centre, its sea-front fish restaurants and a gently bustling atmosphere. Gallipoli's east-facing Adriatic counterpart, fascinating Otranto, is also within easy driving distance and well worth a visit.
Arrival details will be confirmed by The Thinking Traveller after your villa is confirmed.
The Thinking Traveller can organise transfers and car hire and an agent will be in touch with you once your villa is confirmed.
